Our Grocery Budget...

and where we shop

I often talk about our grocery budget and show my weekly haul on Instagram, but I thought it might also be helpful to post it in written form. 

At this point, with the six of us and our dietary needs and appetite, we have settled on $1,000/month for our grocery budget. 

We came to this conclusion after I took Grocery Budget Bootcamp. That class helped me solidify our main goals with food:

1. We want grassfed and/or organic dairy

2. We will eat local meat and buy a ½ cow each year

3. We will cut back on meat consumption

4. We will aim to cook from scratch versus buying convenience food.

What does this budget each month NOT include?

• We budget one large chunk each year for our beef

• It does not include toiletries or paper products

• If we buy 50lb bags of grains, which we get at our local Amish store, I budget extra that month for those purchases

With our needs, preferences, and  locations the stores I shop at CURRENTLY are:

• Aldi

• Walmart

• Sam’s Club

• Yoder’s 

Each week I post my Aldi haul on Instagram and take questions - then I also aim to post our dinners each evening, except on Sunday when we are off social media. Most often that day is leftovers, so people have already seen it. ;-) 

I get most of our food at Aldi - the things I need that I cannot find there are minimal, but when they pop up, I get those at Walmart via a pickup so I don’t have to go in.

My main item purchases at Sam’s Club are:

1. Honey

2. Maple syrup

3. Yeast

4. Nuts

5. White vinegar

6. Olive Oil

7. Pita

And at Yoders I get all sorts of things, but my standards are: oats, wheat berries, stevia. I usually pick up a few fun items there too - I can’t leave behind a good fried pie. ;-) 

I hope that’s helpful. I try to be very transparent with the way we eat and where we shop - sometimes it feels more vulnerable than showing you guys my underwear drawer….people are brutal, man. HA!

If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them.

Soli Deo gloria,

Stacy